Maple Grove Soccer Teams Head to Schwan’s USA Cup

Several Maple Grove area youth soccer teams will compete in the Schwan’s USA Cup weekend tournament on Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17 at Blaine’s National Sports Center.

Maple Grove will have four teams competing in the three age levels. Seven teams from Maple Grove will compete during the weeklong event July 19-23.

The USA Cup weekend tournament hosts boys and girls teams both nationally and internationally from ages U9 to U19. There will be 450 teams competing in Blaine over the course of the weekend.

Teams from across the U.S. will compete at the weekend tournament, including squads from Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas, Iowa, New York, Missouri, Utah, California and Alaska. Internationally, 55 teams from Canada, three from Costa Rica, two from Sweden and Puerto Rico and one from Uganda, the US Virgin Islands and Mexico will compete in the weekend tournament from Friday through Sunday.

The USA Cup originated in 1985 by the Sons of Norway and was modeled after the Norway Cup, and has grown from 62 teams in the first year. Combined with the week-long tournament that runs from July 19-23, 936 teams will compete in Blaine during the event.

According to the usacup.org, 917 teams and 13,300 players competed last year at the tournament. It has an out-of-state impact of $18 million per year and is the largest youth soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere, according to the official website.

All games will be played at the National Sports Center, a 600-acre multi-sport facility that includes 52 soccer fields.